


Tarts and Tunnels

by Purpleologist



Series: Bangs & Zines [2]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Implications of Callum/Claudia (One-Sided/Crush), Fluff, Gen, Heist, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Magic, Pre-Canon, Zine, Zine: Aspiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 22:06:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19450435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purpleologist/pseuds/Purpleologist
Summary: “You have to stayonthe horse, Callum,” Soren sighed and slid off his own horse to help the now-bruised boy off the ground.“I should stay on the ground, where it’s safe,” he muttered.“Wait until we get to sword-fighting,” Soren told him with an almost-eager grin. “You’ll be begging for a horse then.”“Actually, Soren, I have a question,” Callum tried to think of a way to be subtle, to clue the older boy in without alerting the guards of their plans.“If it’s how to stay on the horse, that’s what I’m trying to teach you.”When Bait gets a hankering for some jelly tarts, Ezran and Callum recruit Soren and Claudia to help them steal some from the royal baker-- even though it's only a couple weeks before King Harrow's birthday and the baker is on high alert.WRITTEN FOR THE ASPIRO ZINE





	Tarts and Tunnels

**Author's Note:**

> Semi-inspired by Six of Crows, which was inspired by Ocean's 8, which inspired me to _watch_ Ocean's 8 (and Ocean's 11), which put me in a heist mood in time for the writing period to roll around :)
> 
> This was my first-ever (and hopefully not last) zine piece! It was so much fun to get to write this and work with [Komini](https://komini-art.tumblr.com/post/186004933850/here-it-is-my-full-piece-for-dragon-prince-zine) and the mods to make this wonderful book! I hope you enjoy!

Callum frowned at the drawing on his desk, the pencil sketch lines not quite forming the image he had in his mind. He pressed the tip of his pencil to the paper and— 

“Callum!” Ezran cried, stumbling into his room with Bait in his arms. Callum’s hand jumped, a wayward streak crossed the page, and he let out a sigh, turning around to face his brother.

“Yeah, Ez?” He was both annoyed and relieved by the sudden distraction. Annoyed because Ezran’s wild imagination could turn something simple into a travesty and relieved because artist’s block was _hard_.

“Bait’s hungry!” Callum couldn’t quite grasp why this was such a big deal, as Bait was _always_ hungry, but he humored it.

“Where’s his food?” He asked, getting up from his desk and crossing the threshold into the younger boy’s equally messy, if not messier, room.

“He doesn’t want _normal_ food, Callum,” Ezran bemoaned, matching Bait’s drooping expression with well-trained expertise.

“So what _does_ he want?”

Ezran grinned, trying and failing to hide his smile behind the bulbous head of his toad. “Jelly tarts.”

_Of course_. With King Harrow’s birthday only a couple weeks away, the entire kingdom was rampant with preparation— including the royal baker. Tarts and cookies and cakes were being made by the hundred for the week-long festival that would end the month, and Callum couldn’t blame Ezran for wanting to taste a few for himself ahead of time. 

“Jelly tarts, huh?” Callum considered his options. “It won’t be easy,” he thought aloud. “The baker hates when we take treats on a normal day, let alone when King Harrow’s birthday is coming up.”

“Are you saying we can’t do it?” Ezran pouted again and Callum started to feel just as dejected as Ez looked, but then he had an idea.

“I’m saying we need help.”

“Highnesses?” A servant knocked on Callum’s bedroom door and both boys yelped.

“Yes?” Callum asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Your training with young master Soren begins today, sir.” 

“Right! Soren!” he spared a glance at Ezran, hoping that the younger boy understood what he was trying to convey.

If Ezran’s confused expression was anything to go by, he’d failed miserably.

“I’ll be right there!” he shouted through the door. “I’m so glad that _Soren_ will be able to _help_ me.” He elaborated, looking pointedly at Ez.

“Oooooh, you want to get Soren to-” Ezran began.

“Yup, I will be _right there_!” He cut him off, nodding to remind his brother of the servant _right. There._

“Of— of course, Your Highness.” The servant said, confusion written in his voice as his footsteps retreated. 

“You want to get Soren to help us!” Ez whispered despite the fact that the servant was long gone now. Callum nodded.

“Soren _always_ has some sweet or another,” he pointed out, “I’m sure he’ll know _exactly_ how to get in and out of the royal bakery without getting caught.”

“Go, then!” Ezran told him, practically pushing him out of the room. “I— _Bait_ wants those jelly tarts ASAP!”

* * *

“You have to stay _on_ the horse, Callum,” Soren sighed and slid off his own horse to help the now-bruised boy off the ground.

“I should stay on the ground, where it’s safe,” he muttered.

“Wait until we get to sword-fighting,” Soren told him with an almost-eager grin. “You’ll be begging for a horse then.”

“Actually, Soren, I have a question,” Callum tried to think of a way to be subtle, to clue the older boy in without alerting the guards of their plans.

“If it’s how to stay on the horse, that’s what I’m trying to teach you.”

“I actually want to know how you get all those jelly tarts. Every time I see you, you have like… a dozen.” _Nailed it._

Soren raised his eyebrow and spared a glance at the guards stationed nearby. He leaned in, a small smile on his face.

“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”

Callum gulped. Soren had always scared him a little. His father Viren was downright terrifying, but Soren had always been more intimidating. 

Then Soren laughed.

“I’m kidding, step-prince!” he clapped Callum on the shoulder and Callum jumped, forcing a bit of a laugh. “I can show you how I get in and out.”

“Can you show Ez too? It was his idea.” Soren seemed to think this over for a moment, then nodded.

“Yeah, sure. Wouldn’t hurt.” he was a silent for a moment. “But if there’s gonna be three of us, we’ll need an extra hand. Just in case.”

“Like who?”

“Like my sister.”

* * *

If Soren scared Callum a little, then Claudia scared Callum _a lot_ , though it wasn’t all the time. She was more like her father in many respects, but she also liked to crack jokes and play a few pranks. Also, she was really pretty. 

After Callum finished his horseback riding lessons, he and Soren went upstairs and got Ezran so that the three of them could hunt down Claudia.

They found Claudia in the library, curled up with a book. When she noticed the three of them walking towards her, she grinned.

“Hey!” she greeted, setting the book down. “What are you guys doing in here?”

“I just wanted to visit my _favorite_ sister,” Soren said, grinning down at her. She instantly rolled her eyes.

“What do you want?”

“Jelly tarts!” Ezran exclaimed, smiling far-too-cheerfully for her to maintain her annoyance.

“We want to get some from the royal baker,” Callum clarified.

“They want to _steal_ some,” Soren explained, “and with so many of us, well... “ he grinned at his sister. “For old times’ sake?”

Claudia sighed and crossed her arms, “You know I’m helping Dad make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“Nothing would go wrong,” Soren assured her, “Not if you helped.”

“What would I get?” She asked.

“The satisfaction of helping?” Soren offered hopefully.

“A fifth of what we steal,” Ezran spoke over him.

“A fifth?” Claudia echoed , eyes darting over the three boys. “There’d only be four of us.”

“Bait gets his share.” He argued and Claudia squinted.

“I’ll do it,” she agreed, “but only if my fifth is in peanut butter cookies.”

“Deal.”

“Can I take my fifth in something else?” Soren asked and Callum shook his head.

“Just get what you want and throw it in a bag,” Ezran said. “The point is we get some treats.” Callum piped up with a very important question.

“So, how are we gonna pull it off?”

“Well, when Claudia and I were little, she’d distract the baker while I snuck in and out through a secret passage.” Soren explained with a proud smirk.

“But with the extra people, the passage might not be big enough,” Claudia reminded.

“That’s why Callum and Ezran can sneak through the tunnel while you and I go through the front.”

“You’ll have to show us where it is first,” Callum warned them.

“Of course!” Soren agreed, nodding. “I can show it to you two tonight, and then we can do it tomorrow morning? I don’t have any training.”

“Dad usually doesn’t ask me to help with things until later,” Claudia said.

“So it’s a plan?” Ezran asked hopefully.

“It’s a plan,” she agreed.

* * *

Soren showed the boys the secret passage and the next morning, they prepared the plan. The boys would travel down the passage while Claudia and Soren went in through the bakery’s front door, Claudia keeping the baker outside while Soren opened the passage door and helped the princes pack up the goods. Crawling along the darkened tunnel would’ve been easier if Bait could’ve come along, but Bait was “too hungry to crawl” (Ezran’s words, as Bait sat and grumbled on the little boy’s bed).

They were somewhere in the middle of the tunnel, lost in the walls of the castle, when Callum felt something move alongside his leg.

“Cut it out, Ez,” he said, yanking his foot forward as he crawled. The tunnel was cramped and dirty, with barely any room to move.

“I didn’t do anything!” the younger boy argued, and Callum sighed, continuing to crawl. After several moments, he felt it again, whipping his head around as quickly as he could, hoping to catch his brother in the act.

“It wasn’t me!” Ezran cried defensively. Callum was just about to complain when his pantleg moved. The skitter of little legs crept along the skin under his pant leg and he yelped, arms flailing as he tried to pull back the fabric to brush off the creature. A little spider scurried from his foot to the ground, fleeing into the dark.

“I told you,” Ez muttered almost smugly, as Callum surrendered a reluctant _”fine”_ , turning around and immediately crawling into a sticky spider’s web, threads of silk sticking to his hair and face as he yelped for the second time in moments. Ezran smothered a snicker as Callum grumbled, brushing off as much as he could, imaginary spiders crawling over every inch of his skin, and continued on.

Eventually the pair began to smell the heavenly scents of baking tarts, sweet and warm. The delicious smells were quickly followed by light streaming in from the village, and then they could hear Claudia and the baker talking just beyond the bakery’s walls.

“Come on,” Soren said, pushing the grate aside as Callum handed him a sack. The younger boys stood up with dirt and grime on their knees, then rushed around the bakery, shoving treats into bags as silently as possible. In minutes, their bags were filled, and Ezran was prepared to make the final trip up the passage, waiting on Soren and the third bag of jelly tarts.

_”Hurry,”_ Callum whispered, waving his little brother into the open passageway. Behind the table, arms full of various pastries, Soren fumbled, a tart falling from his arms. He quickly darted down, catching the treat in his mouth by some miracle and stood back up, victorious grin on his face— for about two seconds, until he bumped into a metal tray, knocking it and its contents onto the bakery floor.

“What’s going on here?” the baker insisted, starting to turn.

“I’m practicing some magic!” Claudia quickly explained, whispering a spell and waving her hand to lift a ball of dough into the air. She twisted her hands, grin spreading on her face as she flattened and spun it, the baker’s suspicion quickly melting into awe and amusement.

“What a trick!” he exclaimed, laughing heartily. Claudia’s eyed darted back to the boys, Ezran quickly taking the final filled bag from Soren as he and Callum crawled further into the passage. Soren quickly recovered the doorway with the grate, but failed to notice a spare pastry that had been dropped on the way. With a flick of her hand, Claudia extended the spell, the treat flying into her brother’s pocket as he crossed the room, removing evidence of the escapade. 

“I think Dad’s calling for us,” he said, resting a hand on her shoulder with a smile. Claudia nodded, offering a smile to the baker. 

“Can’t wait to try your pastries at the festival!” she wished, waving as she and Soren left the bakery. As the two siblings walked down the street, they shared a grin. Soren pulled the dropped tart from his pocket, splitting in half and handing some to his sister.

“Just like old times.”

* * *

When Soren and Claudia reached the princes’ joint bedrooms, they found the two younger boys sprawled in the middle of Ezran’s floor, Bait sitting atop a pile of jelly tarts and glowing happily. Soren settled onto the ground, legs crossed as he pulled a bag towards him and rummaged through, pulling out a jelly tart and munching on it happily. Claudia smiled, sitting down next to her brother.

“To a job well done!” Ezran proposed, holding a jelly tart aloft.

“Here, here!” Callum echoed with a grin, tapping his brother’s tart as Claudia and Soren followed suit. Bait’s tongue darted out, snatching all four tarts as he swallowed them whole. He belched, loudly, and the four of them broke into laughter.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who was involved with the creation of the zine, as well as all the people who ordered it! And thank YOU, lovely reader, for reading this :)


End file.
